Carriers for containers

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a carrier of foldable sheet material, such as cardboard, for carrying containers, such as bottles or the like, in one or more rows in which the carrier is a foursided hollow tubular structure into which a part of the container extends and at least one of the carrier sides is deformable inwardly to exert a positive gripping action on such containers so that the containers are firmly held and the carrier is stressed to give a rigid structure. The disclosure also extends to a blank for forming such a carrier, the blank comprising a substantially rectangular piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard divided by longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which form carrier sidewalls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the carrier upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the carrier upper and lower walls have one of the carrier side walls therebetween, a further longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the sidewall panels intermediate the width thereof, openings in at least one of the upper and lower wall panels to allow a container part to pass therethrough and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank attachable to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a part associated therewith to enable the blank to be folded to and secured in a hollow closed four-sided figure in cross-section.

United States Patent [191 Gauntlett [451 Sept. 10, 1974 1 CARRIERS FOR CONTAINERS [76] Inventor: John H. Gauntlett, Mayfield, 7

Kingsdene, Tadworth, Surrey, England 221 Filed: Sept. 27, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 292,668

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 3,442,547 5/1969 Skillen.... 294/87.2 3,528,697 9/1970 Wood 294/87.2 3,587,846 6/1971 Heier 206/65 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Karl W. Flocks [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a carrier of foldable sheet material, such as cardboard, for carrying containers, such as bottles or the like, in one or more rows in which the carrier is a four-sided hollow tubular structure into which a part of the container extends and at least one of the carrier sides is deformable inwardly to exert a positive gripping action on such containers so that the containers are firmly held and the carrier is stressed to give a rigid structure. The disclosure also extends to a blank for forming such a carrier, the blank comprising a substantially rectangular piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard di vided by longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which form carrier sidewalls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the carrier upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the carrier upper and lower walls have one of the carrier side walls therebetween, a further longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the sidewall panels intermediate the width thereof, openings in at least one of the upper and lower wall panels to allow a container part to pass therethrough and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank attachable to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a part associated therewith to enable the blank to be folded to and secured in a hollow closed four-sided figure in cross section.

8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTED SEPI 0 1914 SHEET 1 BF 3 m9 3 N P ON/V QHQ

PAIENTEB SEP] 01974 SHEET I 3 [1F 3 CARRIERS FOR CONTAINERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in carriers for containers and is of particular, but not exclusive, application to carriers for bottles. Such carriers are of a foldable material, such as cardboard and are generally arranged to hold one or more rows of containers in such a manner that they are held and located by the carrier for display and sale and can be carried by the container.

With a view to economizing on the amount of material employed, carriers have been developed which do not completely enclose the container or bottle but merely embrace the neck of the container. This has the added advantage that the container or bottle labels are exposed to view. Such containers are generally of hollow tubular construction. One such carrier is described in U.S. Pat. Specification No. 2,823,064 issued to Patrick A. Toensmeier on Feb. II, 1958. In this case, the bottles are loaded by forcing the caps through openings, of the type commonly called sun-burst openings, in the top wall of the carrier so that the tongues surrounding the opening spring back beneath the edge of the cap. The weight of the bottles is then supported by these tongues in the top wall.

An alternative form of carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Specification No. 3,016,259 issued to F. D. Lawrence on Jan. 9, 1962. In thiscase, the bottles are forced between a pair of converging sidewalls which snap back under the bottle cap or a rib on the bottle so that the weight of bottles is supported by the sidewalls. As the sidewalls converge, the carrier is such that it cannot be folded about diametrically opposed fold lines to lie flat for transportation and storage, unless a further fold line is specifically provided for this purpose, thereby weakening the structure.

Furthermore, both the prior art specifications referred to rely on the carrier being deformed during loading of the bottles and snapping back under a rim or rib.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved carrier for containers such as bottles which shall exert a positive gripping action on the containers carried thereby and which, in use. will be stressed by the gripping action it exerts on the bottles so that it is a relatively rigid structure.

It is a further object of the invention that such a carrier shall enable economic utilization of material for its construction, shall be simple and economic to manufacture and apply to such containers and shall be capable of being stored and transported in a flat condition so as to occupy a minimum of space.

According to the present invention there is provided a carrier for containers comprising a pair of spaced sidewalls each having upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper edges and preventing relative displacement of the upper edges away from each other, a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing the relative displacement of the lower edges away from each other, openings in at least one of the upper and lower walls to allow a part of a container to pass therethrough into the space between the sidewalls and a longitudinally extending fold line in at least one of the sidewalls to allow said one sidewall to fold inwardly upon the upper and lower edges of said one sidewall being displaced one towards the other to grip a container when disposed between the sidewalls.

Locking means is provided to hold the upper and lower edges of said one sidewall displaced one towards the other and such locking means may entirely or in part form part of the carrier or it can be separate from the carrier. Thus, for example, the locking means could be a mechanical type of the locking means such as a tongue and slot formed wholly in the carrier or it could be partly on the carrier and partly on the container, e.g., a tongue or tab on the carrier engaging an external rib of the container. Alternatively, the locking means could be one or more staples passed through the material of the carrier when the displacement has been effeeted or an adhesive adhesively uniting parts of the carrier to maintain the displaced condition.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention there is provided a carrier for bottles comprising a pair of spaced sidewalls each having upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper edges and preventing relative displace ment of the upper edges away from each other, a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing relative displacement of the lower edges away from each other, openings in the lower wall to allow bottle necks to pass therethrough and to allow the bottom wall to sit on larger diameter parts of such necks, corresponding openings of smaller diameter in the upper wall to allow the bottle necks to extend therethrough and having one or more inwardly extending tabs which are bent upwardly when a bottle neck is passed therethrough and a longitudinally extending fold line in each sidewall to allow the sidewalls to fold inwardly to grip the bottle neck as the upper wall is displaced towards the lower wall, the tabs being such as to ride over an external rib on the bottle neck or cap during such displacement and to engage under such rib and hold the upper wall in the displaced condition.

It is preferred that the openings in the lower wall extend to the lower longitudinal edges and that the width of the lower wall corresponds to the outer diameter of said larger diameter bottle neck part.

The invention also extends to a blank for a carrier for containers, the blank conprising a substantially rectangular piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard divided by longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which form carrier sidewalls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the carrier upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the carrier upper and lower walls have one of the carrier sidewalls therebetween, a further longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the sidewall panels intermediate the width thereof, openings in at least one of the upper and lower wall panels to allow a container part to pass therethrough and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank attachable to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a part associated therewith to enable the blank to be folded to and secured in a hollow closed four-sided figure in cross-section.

The means on one longitudinal edge of the blank may be a panel which can be adhesively united with or mechanically affixed to the marginal portion adjacent to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or one or more tongues for engagement with grooves adjacent to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a panel which can be attached to a further panel at the other longitudinal edge of the blank to form a handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for a carrier according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view with part broken away illustrating the blank of FIG. 1 erected as a carrier with a bottle in position,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively a sectional and elevational view showing an intermediate stage in mounting a bottle in the carrier of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the final stage,

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing progressive stages of mounting a bottle in the carrier,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a modification,

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing a modification,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a modified car rier,

FIG. 10 is a section on the line x-x of FIG. 11,

FIG. 11 shows a form of double carrier according to the invention, and

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a further form of double carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 is a carrier intended for carrying a row of three bottles. The blank shown in FIG. 1 is a substantially rectangular piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard divided by longitudinally extending fold lines 1, 2 and 3 into four panels 4, 5, 6 and 7. The panels 4 and 6 represent carrier sidewalls and have the panel 5 therebetween which represents the carrier upper wall. The fourth panel 7 represents the carrier lower wall and is joined by fold line 8 to a securing flap 9 which is intended to be adhesively united to the marginal edge of the sidewall when the blank is erected to fonn a hollow tubular structure which is a closed four-sided figure in cross-section. The flap 9 could be secured by other means to the marginal edge of the side wall 4, e.g., by staples. Alternatively, the flap 9 could be formed with grooves 9a with tongues 9b therebetween mechanically engageable by tongues 90 attached to the edge of the sidewall 4 as indicated in dotted lines.

The upper wall 5 is formed with what are sometimes referred to as sun-burst apertures 10. These apertures 10 are formed as a fold line 11 which may be circular or may be a many sided figure from which tongues or tabs 12 extend inwardly to leave an opening 13. The fold line 11 is dimensioned so that the end of a bottle neck can pass therethrough whereas the opening 13 is dimensioned so that the bottle neck can only pass therethrough by displacing the tabs 12 out of the genneck of the bottle to be carried and which preferably meet the fold lines 3 and 8.

At least one sidewall and, in this example, both sidewalls 4 and 6, are formed with an additional longitudinally extending fold line as shown at 15 and 16. These additional fold lines extend parallel to and are respectively spaced a short distance from the fold lines 1 and 2 which, in use, respectively constitute the upper edges of the sidewalls 4 and 6. In the embodiment illustrated, the fold lines 15 and 16 are interrupted in correspondence with the apertures 10 and 14, as at 17, and these interruptions are spanned by a cut line 18 which defines a tongue 19 extending towards the upper wall 5. Additionally, a weakness line 20 is provided just above each cut line 18, i.e., towards the upper wall 5. The cut line 18 is in part convex towards the associated fold line 15 or 16 to give the leading edge of the tongue 19 a configuration to improve its engagement with the neck of a bottle.

FIG. 2 shows a standard disposable bottle B with a screw cap C and it will be seen that the bottle neck is of reducing circular cross'section towards the mouth of the bottle and is formed with an external annular rib A, sometimes referred to as a transfer bead, located just below the threaded end of the bottle and immediately below the rim R of the cap C.

In use, the blank is erected to the four-sided tubular structure shown in FIG. 2 and placed over the necks of bottles B so that the apertures 14 seat on larger diameter parts of the bottle necks. In this position, the upper wall 5 is spaced a short distance above the bottle caps C which are shown as being of the screw-threaded variety used on disposable bottles. The upper wall 5 could be below the cap C in this position. The upper edges 1 and 2 are then moved downwardly towards the lower edges provided by the fold line 8 and the edge 21 and the fold line 3 of the blank by displacing the upper wall 5 downwardly towards the lower wall 7, the latter being held by engagement with the bottle necks. The effect of this is to cause the mouths of the bottles B with the attached caps C to burst through the sun-burst apertures l0 displacing the tabs 12 upwardly and to fold the side walls 4 and 6 inwardly about the fold lines 15 and 16 whilst leaving the tongues 19 projecting upwardly within the carrier. This is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Continued downward displacement of the upper wall 5, as can be seen in FIG. 5, brings the fold lines 15 and 16 into positive gripping action with the bottle necks just below the transfer bead A leaving the tongues 19 extending upwardly into engagement with the underside of the beads A. At the same time, the upper edge of each cut line 18 has descended and is thrust firmly against the associated tongue 19 roughly along the lines of the fold lines 15 and 16 to further enhance the grip. The weakness lines 20 allow the material between these weakness lines 20 and the cut lines 18 to expand slightly outwardly to accommodate the thickness of the tongues 19 and accommodate the curvature of the bottle necks. This in effect produces a slight corrugation in the side wall parts 4a and 6a enhancing the rigidity of the structure. Simultaneously, the tabs 12 of the sunburst apertures 10 engage under the cap rims R and prevent the upper wall 5 rising back towards its original position. The general action is illustrated in FIG. 6 where the left-hand side shows the progressive diminishing inward folding of a side wall and the right-hand side shows the same sun-burst aperture 10 progressively and constantly moving down over the cap C. It will be appreciated that a firm positive gripping action is afforded by a construction of carrier according to the invention. The sidewalls 4 and 6 may be considered each to be divided by their respective fold lines 15 and 16 into two parts 4a and 4b and 6a and 6b, both of which are placed in compression by the downward displacement of the upper wall 5 whilst the upper and lower walls 5 and 7 are placed in tension and resist any tendency for their respective opposed longitudinal edges to be displaced away from each other. The bottles B are held firmly in one plane by the fold lines 15 and 16 and associated tongues 19 and are held firmly in an axially displaced plane by the openings 14. A rigid carrier structure results from the stressing of the walls.

Whilst the sun-burst apertures described above are extremely efficient in holding the upper wall 5 displaced towards the lower wall 7, they are not essential to the provision of the positive gripping action afforded by the displacement of the upper wall 5. Other means can be employed to hold the upper wall 5 in the dis placed position. For example, the upper wall coupled be stapled to the upper sidewall parts 4b and 6b which lie substantially flat thereunder or it could be adhesively united to these parts. It is also possible to devise a mechanical tongue and groove connection in the carrier itself for this purpose.

The blank illustrated in FIG. 1 shows in chain-dotted lines an alternative construction for holding the carrier in the erected condition. In this modification, additional panels 7a and an extension flap 7b corresponding to the lower wall panel 7 and flap 9 are provided adjacent the sidewall panel 4 and is formed with openings 14a corresponding to the openings 14. The extension flap 7b ensures that the openings 14a and closed around their periphery and have strength. When one of the panels 7 and 7a is made to overlie the other with the openings 14 and 14a in correspondence, the insertion of bottle necks through the openings will hold the carrier in the erected condition.

FIG. 7 shows a modified construction in which the gripping action of the fold lines 15 and 16 is reproduced in spaced relationship thereto by additional similar fold lines 15a and 16a towards the lower wall 7. In this case, the openings 14 in the lower wall 7 are dimensioned to extend slightly beyond the position of the additionl fold lines 15a and 16a when the carrier is erected. It will be appreciated, that with this modified construction, tubular articles of constant circular cross section could be gripped and carried if the upper and lower walls 5 and 7 are held displaced towards each other by other means such as staples or an adhesive, the sun-burst apertures 10 which rely on a cap C being unnecessary.

As will be realized, a satisfactory carrier can be produced using only one foldable sidewall. FIG. 8 illustrates such an arrangement, the fold line 15 or 16 in one of the sidewalls 4 and 6 being omitted in comparison with the example of FIGS. 1 to 5. In the example illustrated, the fold line 15 is omitted. In this case, the thrust exerted by the remaining fold line 16 is sufficient to support and grip the bottles B but support may be augmented by the opening 10 along the edge I. With such an arrangement, tabs 12 need only be provided extending into the sun burst aperture 10 on the side adjacent to the sidewall which is foldable. Alternatively,

the tongue 19 may be extended to share with the tabs 12 any common abutment such as the rib A or the rim R where only one such abutment. is available as in the case of pilfcr proof caps. Such a carrier in the operational condition is shown in FIG. 9. This figure also illustrates the use of the grooves and tongues 9a and 9b and 9c illustrated in FIG. 1 to secure the carrier in the erect condition. FIGS. 10 and 1] illustrate how two carriers such as shown in FIG. 9 can be formed integrally to carry two rows of bottles side by side, the tongues 9b of each carrier forming part of a carrier handle 30 which is unitary with the bases 7 of each carrier. This double carrier arrangement is equally applicable to the carrier shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. Also, although the foldable sidewalls of the double carrier shown in FIG. 11 are remote from each other, they can also be disposed adjacent to each other as in the arrangement shown in FIG. 12. In this arrangement, the carriers have a common lower wall 7 and the foldable sidewalls 4 have extensions 40 which are adhesively or otherwise united with each other and the common lower wall 7.

FIG. 13 illustrates another double carrier arrangement. This arrangement may be considered as two carriers such as illustrated in FIGS. 25 disposed side-byside and having a common upper wall 5. In this case, the wall 6 of one carrier and the wall 4 of the other carrier have additional flaps 6c and 4c for attachment by adhesive or other means to the underside of the common upper wall 5 to complete the two tubular carrier structures. FIG. 13 shows a bottle locked in position in the left-hand carrier and a bottle ready to be locked in position in the right-hand carrier.

In the above examples, particularly, but not exclusively the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, it will be seen that by making the sum of the height of one of the sidewalls 4 and 6 and the width of one of the upper and lower walls 5 and 7, equal to the sum of the height of the other of the sidewalls 4 and 6 and the width of the other of the upper and lower walls 5 and 7, the carrier may be folded flat about diametrically opposed fold lines so that one sidewall and one of the upper and lower walls lies against the other sidewall and the other of the upper and lower walls. This facilitates glueing of the flap 9 and is also of advantage for transporting and storing the carriers. In the embodiment described, the sidewalls 4 and 6 are of equal height and the upper and lower walls 5 and 7 are of equal width.

It will be understood that all the features shown and described may be interchanged one with another, and it can be seen that the invention may be carried into effect in a wide variety of useful forms to carry a wide variety of containers and closures.

What is claimed is:

l. A carrier for containers such as bottles having a neck portion of circular cross-section of reducing diameter towards the mouth and an external rib adjacent the mouth, said carrier comprising a pair of spaced sidewalls each having upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper edges and preventing relative displacement of the upper edges away from each other, a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing the relative displacement of the lower edges away from each other, said upper and lower walls having aligned openings therein, the openings in the lower wall being dimensioned to pass freely over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion and engage a larger diameter part of the neck portion and the openings in the upper wall being arranged to pass over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion, and a longitudinally extending fold line in at least one of the sidewalls which fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings, in which the fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings and each interruption is spanned by a cut line to define a tongue arranged to extend upwardly within the carrier for engagement with a container when said one sidewall is folded inwardly, whereby said one sidewall is caused to fold inwardly below said rib to grip the neck portion of a container disposed between the sidewalls upon the upper and lower edges of said sidewalls being displaced one towards the other.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall is formed with a similar longitudinally extending fold line to allow both side walls to fold inwardly and grip the container.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 including openings in the lower wall to allow bottle necks to pass therethrough and to allow the bottom wall to sit on larger diameter parts of such necks, corresponding openings of smaller diameters in the upper wall to allow the bottle necks to extend therethrough and having one or more inwardly extending tabs which are bent upwardly when a bottle neck is passed therethrough and a longitudinally extending fold line in each sidewall to allow the sidewalls to fold inwardly to grip the bottle neck as the upper wall is displaced towards the lower wall, the tabs being such as to ride over an external rib on the bottle neck or cap during such displacement and to engage under such rib and hold the upper wall in the displaced condition.

4. A carrier according to claim 3 in which the openings in the lower wall extend to the lower longitudinal edges and the width of the lower wall corresponds to the outer diameter of said larger diameter bottle neck parts.

5. A carrier according to claim 1 in which the sum of the height of one sidewall and the width of one of the upper and lower walls is equal to the sum of the height of the other sidewall and the width of the other of the upper and lower walls.

6. A blank for a carrier for containers such as bottles having a neck portion of circular cross-section of reducing diameter towards the mouth, the blank comprising a substantially rectangulr piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard divided by longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which form carrier side walls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the carrier upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the carrier upper and lower walls have one of the carrier sidewalls therebetween, said upper and lower wall panels having aligned openings therein, the opening in the lower walls being dimensioned to pass freely over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion and engage a larger diameter part of the neck portion and the openings in the upper wall being arranged to pass over the smaller end of the neck portion, a further longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the sidewall panels intermediate the width thereof which fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings and each interruption is spanned by a cut line to define a tongue arranged to extend upwardly within the carrier for engagement with a container when said one sidewall is folded inwardly and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank attachable to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a part associated therewith to enable the blank to be folded to and secured in a hollow closed four-sided figure in cross-section.

7. A blank according to claim 6 in which said further longitudinally extending fold line is formed in each sidewall panel.

8. A blank according to claim 6 in which said openings are formed both in said upper and lower wall panels, the openings in the lower wall panel being larger than the openings in the upper wall panel and the openings in the upper wall panel each having at least one tab extending thereinto.

l =l= l= =l 

1. A carrier for containers such as bottles having a neck portion of circular cross-section of reducing diameter towards the mouth and an external rib adjacent the mouth, said carrier comprising a pair of spaced sidewalls each having upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper edges and preventing relative displacement of the upper edges away from each other, a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing the relative displacement of the lower edges away from each other, said upper and lower walls having aligned openings therein, the openings in the lower wall being dimensioned to pass freely over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion and engage a larger diameter part of the neck portion and the openings in the upper wall being arranged to pass over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion, and a longitudinally extending fold line in at least one of the sidewalls which fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings, in which the fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings and each interruption is spanned by a cut line to define a tongue arranged to extend upwardly within the carrier for engagement with a container when said one sidewall is folded inwardly, whereby said one sidewall is caused to fold inwardly below said rib to grip the neck portion of a container disposed between the sidewalls upon the upper and lower edges of said sidewalls being displaced one towards the other.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall is formed with a similar longitudinally extending fold line to allow both side walls to fold inwardly and grip the container.
 3. A carrier according to claim 1 including openings in the lower wall to allow bottle necks to pass therethrough and to allow the bottom wall to sit on larger diameter parts of such necks, corresponding openings of smaller diameters in the upper wall to allow the bottle necks to extend therethrough and having one or more inwardly extending tabs which are bent upwardly when a bottle neck is passed therethrough and a longitudinally extending fold line in each sidewall to allow the sidewalls to fold inwardly to grip the bottle neck as the upper wall is displaced towards the lower wall, the tabs being such as to ride over an external rib on the bottle neck or cap during such displacement and to engage under such rib and hold the upper wall in the displaced condition.
 4. A carrier according to claim 3 in which the openings in the lower wall extend to the lower longitudinal edges and the width of the lower wall corresponds to the outer diameter of said larger diameter bottle neck parts.
 5. A carrier according to claim 1 in which the sum of the height of one sidewall and the width of one of the upper and lower walls is equal to the sum of the height of the other sidewall and the width of the other of the upper and lower walls.
 6. A blank for a carrier for containers such as bottles having a neck portion of circular cross-section of reducing diameter towards the mouth, the blank comprising a substantially rectangulr piece of foldable material such as, for example, cardboard divided by longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which form carrier side walls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the carrier upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the carrier upper and lower walls have one of the carrier sidewalls therebetween, said upper and lower wall panels having aligned openings therein, the opening in the lower walls being dimensioned to pass freely over the smaller diameter end of the neck portion and engage a larger diameter part of the neck portion and the openings in the upper wall being arranged to pass over the smaller end of the neck portion, a further longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the sidewall panels intermediate the width thereof which fold line is interrupted at locations corresponding to the openings and each interruption is spanned by a cut line to define a tongue arranged to extend upwardly within the carrier for engagement with a container when said one sidewall is folded inwardly and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank attachable to the other longitudinal edge of the blank or a part associated therewith to enable the blank to be folded to and secured in a hollow closed four-sided figure in cross-section.
 7. A blank according to claim 6 in which said further longitudinally extending fold line is formed in each sidewall panel.
 8. A blank according to claim 6 in which said openings are formed both in said upper and lower wall panels, the openings in the lower wall panel being larger than the openings in the upper wall panel and the openings in the upper wall panel each having at least one tab extending thereinto. 